Isis: Paranoid but determined, Islamic State is ready for a fight to the death in Mosul
2/17/2015
I fled Mosul when Isis threatened to conscript my brother as one of its fighters, though he is under 18 years of age, says Ali Hussein Mustafa, a student who left the city a week ago. The self-styled Islamic State is seeking to bolster its military forces as it wages war on many fronts and it has introduced a new rule under which men under the age of 18 are no longer exempt from conscription.
The Iraqi government is threatening that it will soon send its army north to recapture Mosul, a city of two million, the loss of which last June was the first in a string of victories by Isis. The Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced this week in an interview that we are now planning an offensive against Mosul in a few months.
If the army does attack it will face formidable resistance from the armed forces of Isis that may now number well over 100,000 in Iraq and Syria. Moreover, people in Mosul, the northern capital of Iraq, are divided in their loyalties, judging by interviews with The Independent conducted this month, either after they left the city or by mobile phone, although Isis has banned their use. In a predominantly Sunni Arab city, many are more frightened of largely Shia Iraqi government forces than they are of those on the side of Isis, though they may not like either.
Some fighters treat the residents cruelly and harshly, while others are well-educated and treat the people well, says Ali. He cites a local mathematics teacher who joined Isis recently but was very kind to people and gave money and food to the poor. He often asked me whether I have any information about widows and the disabled in the city. He was donating part of his salary to them.
in full: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-paranoid-but-determined-islamic-state-is-ready-for-a-fightto-the-death-in-mosul-10052377.html
randys1
(16,286 posts)I saw a poll today that more than half of America isnt happy with the way Obama is handling this, too bad you stupid assholes.
Obama is trying to deal with idiots like McCain and the never ending videos from ISIL showing beheading and burning and so on.
Obama knows what WE know, that it AINT our fight and we cant resolve this even if we wanted to.
but how does he tell that to a bunch of scared and badly informed Americans?
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)referring to..what do those polled want? McCain never met a conflict he did not fall
in love with, true. It has been suggested Obama drop going after Assad and join
in a venture to go after ISIS..he may change his mind on this and go for it, possibly,
because ISIS will benefit from an Assad take down and that is in no ones interest
but ISIS.
Obama has always dealt with the idiot Republicans with grace and dignity..I don't
know how he stands them.
SnakeEyes
(1,407 posts)And not in a rush to war because ISIS is going to show up here but more in a I'm afraid we are in 1938 again way.
CJCRANE
(18,184 posts)(the latest one in Denmark) reminded me of that time.